Wednesday, September 22, 2010

1. The Deke took over the electric frying pan tonight and whipped up what, to her, is an epitome of comfort food: pork steaks drowning in a mushroom gravy, made sturdy by a can of cream of mushroom soup. We ladled the gravy over a grain no one seems to know the name of and rounded out this pinnacle of comfort food with green beans and corn (some of you might recognize a DD song title here).

2. The Starbucks in Woodburn wins my designation as Oregon's most perfectly located coffee shop. When I drive to Portland, as I did today, this shop, just off the freeway and just south of the Company Stores Mall, is placed perfectly for a well-timed refreshment after dealing with six or seven big trucks per mile on I-5. Today I had a black iced tea and lemonade and it gave me just the refreshment and morale boost I needed to feel clear-minded as I headed on to the airport.

3. I watched nearly three episodes of season 1 of "The Wire" this evening. Over the years, I've told both students and friends how much I enjoy "The Shield". Nine out of ten respond, "You've got to see "The Wire"! It's soooooooooooooo much better!" Having watched these episodes of "The 'Wire", I don't think there's a comparison to be made. They embody completely different approaches to police work and drama. They are so vastly different from each other, operating on such different planes, that I would never say which is better. They are both, in their own ways, compelling and I don't see any way to meaningfully compare them.